Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit:
“Portraits of Alumni Achievement”

Arturo Sánchez, III ‘99

“I learned lifelong skills at TAMIU.”

In 1994, a traumatic head-on collision forced Arturo Sánchez, III to learn to walk again. A year spent in physical therapy provided him time to focus on his goals. One of them was to finish his degree in business. Sánchez pursued his education with the same zeal he put into his
physical rehabilitation.

Before graduating from TAMIU, he learned that he had been accepted to the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. It was there that he was inspired by the President’s words, “Public service is a noble calling, and we need men and women of character to believe in their communities, in their states, and in their country.”

In 2001, an internship prior to graduation opened doors to a permanent position at NASA. After several years at NASA, Sánchez recently accepted a position at Texas Instruments, Inc. He quotes a graduate school professor who once told him, “There are not enough “Z” names (Sánchez, Hernández, Rodríguez, Gómez) in the workforce. You’ll have to push yourself every day to ensure your reputation paves the way for others.”